Daughter of the Spellcaster review

I definitely enjoyed Daughter of the Spellcaster by Maggie Shayne which is the second book in The Portal series. It follows Mark of the Witch and I'd recommend reading them in order or it might be confusing. There is also a prequel novella, Legacy of the Witch, but I haven't read that.

Lena is a powerful witch who is loving but doesn't trust her power enough. She is the reincarnation of the original Magdalena, one of the original three sisters who was sacrificed by an evil priest. She and Ryan have history as is clearly evidenced by her pregnancy but she left him when he unequivocally stated that a woman getting pregnant was trying to trap a man into marriage and take his money. 

Ryan is not really a bad guy but he certainly tries to make you think he is! First, he is determined to keep his playboy image despite being in a committed relationship with Lena. Second, he refuses to fall in love - as if he has any control over that! - and doesn't trust anyone because of his father issues. He is also completely dismissive of Lena's beliefs and power which irritated me more than the rest. Ryan also has a tendency to stick his foot in his mouth whenever he opens it to Lena which is equal parts frustrating and endearing.

Lena's insistence on proving she isn't trying to trap Ryan and Ryan's attempts to protect himself from heartbreak are the main problems in this story. Yes, there is a crazy demon trying to kill Lena and steal the baby but honestly, that is far easier for them to deal with than their personal and emotional issues. Fighting an outside enemy is always easier than addressing your own internal problems, isn't it?

Both books in the series have featured seriously messed up "priests" for lack of a better word. In Daughter of the Spellcaster, it's Barhu, a world traveling holy man who seeks spirituality in all its forms and seems to take on whatever pieces of various belief systems he likes. He is creepy but not as creepy as Father Dom, the Catholic priest in Mark of the Witch. Bahru is also not as evil as Father Dom.

The one problem I had with Daughter of the Spellcaster was: Where the hell was Indira? As the first "sister" from Mark of the Witch, why wasn't she there to help Lena? It didn't make sense to me that Indira and Tomas had just taken off for a honeymoon when they knew what was happening and that someone would be showing up to take the second step of helping free the imprisoned soul.

Overall, I enjoyed Daughter of the Spellcaster a great deal and am looking forward to reading the conclusion of the series, Blood of the Sorceress.

Synopsis

Has a spell been cast?

Lena Dunkirk is a practicing witch, Ryan McNally a wealthy playboy. Logic says mismatch, yet from the first they share a passion that defies reason, as if they know each other from another place, another time. Then Lena gets pregnant and runs for the safety of home.

Months later, when Ryan appears at her door looking to help raise their child, Lena doesn’t know whom to trust–particularly now that “guru to the stars” Bahru has taken an interest in her baby, offering gifts forged of magic.

Soon she and Ryan are sharing eerie dreams of ancient lands, while a vengeful demon plots to take possession of their child. As the moment of birth approaches, the demon’s power rises, forcing the hand of love to wield the blade that will decide the fate of a child’s soul–and the future of the world.